Mininet vs PacketForge
Mininet
mininet.orgPacketForge
gl.comSide by side
| Figure | Mininet | PacketForge |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Network Testing Software | 8.6 (#4) | 7.0 (#27) |
| Deployment | Mininet networks can connect to real networks, and code developed in Mininet can move to real systems with minimal changes. | Deployment options include rack-mount appliances, portable systems, PCIe NIC cards, and software-based deployments on standard PCs and laptops. |
| Intended users | The project describes Mininet as useful for development, teaching, and research. | The product page identifies service providers, enterprises, equipment vendors, government organizations, and research laboratories as intended users. |
Plans
In their own words
Mininet
Mininet is a free network emulator that creates virtual hosts, switches, controllers and links on one machine. Its hosts run standard Linux network software on the real Linux kernel and network stack, while switches support OpenFlow. The project describes uses including research, development, learning, prototyping, testing and debugging, including experiments with SDN systems using OpenFlow and P4. A topology-aware and OpenFlow-aware command-line interface supports debugging and network-wide tests. Users can select parameterized topologies or create custom ones, and an extensible Python API supports network creation and experimentation. Mininet networks can connect to real networks, and code developed in Mininet can move to real systems with minimal changes. Installation options include a pre-packaged virtual machine, native installation from source and packages for recent Ubuntu or Debian 11 and later; Fedora support is experimental. Mininet depends on the Linux kernel, while its VM can run through VMware or VirtualBox on Mac, Windows and Linux. Its networks are constrained by a single server's CPU and bandwidth, and it cannot currently run non-Linux-compatible OpenFlow switches or applications. Mininet is released under a permissive BSD open source license.